Glass melting furnace



March 8, 1938. w. AjMoRToN GLASS MELTING FURNACE 2 Sheets-,Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1954 m im Q .INVENTOR W a, BY AATTORNEY March 8, 1938. W. A. MORTON v2,110,736

`GLASS MELTING FURNACE 'Filed April 19, 1954 .v 2 Sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR a swru, B Y ma /f/(M A TTORNE Y Patented Mar. 8, 1938 UNITED srrA'rEsi PATENT OFI-Ice ananas GLASS MELTnvG FUBNACE wiliiam A. Morton, Pittsburgh, Pa, assigner to Amco, Incorporated, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 19, 1934, Serial No. 721,276

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in industrial heating and melting furnaces more particularly to furnaces of the recuperative type, the herein disclosed embodiment featurin the.invention as applied to glass Mmelting/ urnaces, and it is among the objects i thereof to provide a combined melting and working tank having a common hearth structure 'for the continuous melting and refining of glass in r4which the hearth shall beadapted to set up mechanical movement o`f the heavy viscous body of glass in the bottom of the furnace and towards the working end of the tank to thereby control the quality of the glass and obtain maximum production capacity of the vmelting chamber.

A further object `of the invention is the provision of a furnace construction in which the melting eillclency of the side fired port furnacev is enhanced by continuous controlled spaced r'- ing from oppositesides and is combined with the economy of the compactgendrilred recuperator type furnace. f

A further object of the inve/ntion is the provision cfa, recuperator structure for preheatlng the air to supp/ort combustion in the firing ports which s ll/be provided with auxiliary air and waste gas passages for producing and maintain- /ixg predetermined preheat temperatures. for

of said roof, thereby effecting a, very substan I tial reduction in heat loss by radiation. Thisis accomplished without lowering the temperature within the furnace. Such insulation is not possible on other designs of furnaces in which extremelyhigh temperatures approach the refractory limit of the furnacek brick vor walls. A

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a. vertical cross-sectional View taken longitudinally along the center line I-I, Figure 4, showing a glass melting furnace and recuperator structureembodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 a horizontal cross-sectionalview thereof with a portionof the recuperator structure cut away; y y

Figure 3 a vertical cross-sectional view taken along `the line 3-3, Figure 4; and

Figure 4 a transverse vertical section taken along the line 4 4, Figure 3.

With reference to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive of l0 the drawings, the reference numeral I generally designates the melting chamber oi' the furnace;

2', the working chamber of the furnace, said chambers having a common hearth 3 and stoom mon preheated air passage 4 together wlthblml mon side and top walls 5 and 6 respectively. The hearth '3 is interrupted 'by a. shoulder'l shown as substantially mid-way of the longitudinal dimansion of the melting chamber I.

A bridge wall 8 divides the melting and workf 2l) ing chambers I and 2, the wall having a throat 9 at the bottom thereof and an extension I0 at the top, the extension beingprovided with side openings II controllable by dampers I2.

The melting chamber I is 4provided with an 25 opening I3 through which batch material is fed from a dog house I4 and is further provided with a waste gas passage I5 leading to a recuperator structure, past -a slag pit or drain I 5e, and the working chamber 2 is provided with openings I6 30 from which glass is withdrawn lfor, use in ware forming machines or the like.

A series of firing ports l1 are provided along the side walls 5 of the melting chamber, and a firing port I8 having the same source of prev35.

heated air is provided on each side wall of the working chamber adjacent the extension wall I0 to control temperature of worldng end.

a 'I'he firing ports I'I may be staggered on opposite sides to provide 'a relatively continuous 40 sheet of ame across. the chamber I and the ports are separated from each other by sections of heavy walls, the outer wall and roof 'being likewise provided with insulation 6a to reduce radiation losses. Burner ports I9 are provided 45 .through which fuel is projected from adjustable burners 20 into the firing ports I I andl enlarged passages 2| connect the individual ports to the preheated air passage 4 above the furnace chamber so that an adequate supply of preheated air 50 is available at the side'red ports. The double crown with the air preheat space 4 therebetween reduces radiation losses in that the preheated air, although highlyyheated, cirulating in the space 4, lowers the temperature 55 of the upper crown sufficiently by relative temperature difference to permit the application of the heat insulating material 6a. Such insulation will effect a very substantial reduction in fuel consumption.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, waste gas passages I5 at the rear of the melting chamber I communicates with a vertical passage I 5a, this passage being controllable by a damper I5b to regulate the waste gases passing downwardly to a stack I5c which is also provided with a damper I5d. A recuperator generally designated by reference numeral 22 is provided with a tile structure built up of tile units 23 which, when assembled, form a series of vertical passages 24 and horizontal passages 25, Figure 1. The outer wall of recuperator 22 is also provided with insulation 6a. 'Ille units 24 communicate at the top and bottom with chambers 26. and 21, chamber 26 communicating with the waste gas passages I5 and I 5a and the bottom chamber 21 communicatingwwith vthe stack I5c. The tile 24 projects la considerable distance above the upper horizontal tile to prevent clogging of the vertical waste gas-passages as-any solids accumulating on the upper layer of tile will drain into the passage I5a through opening I5f. A clean-out doo 28 is providedd C I5a to remove any accumulation from the bottom chamber 21.

The horizontal air passage 25 of the recuperator structure are open at 29 to theagnosphere and at their upperwendsearpvidedfwitlopenings'il and 30a leading to vertical air passages 3| which communicate at the top with the vpreheated air space 4 above the roof or crown 6 of the furnace chamber. Air passages 3I are provided with covered openings 32 at the bottom to provide auxiliary air when needed. Also, as shown in Figure 1, an auxiliary port or opening 33 is provided substantially midway of the continuous horizontal air passage for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

Clean-out openings 34 are provided in register with the vertical waste gas passages 24 of the recuperator structure, these openings constituting poke holes which are closed by refractory plugs 35 that are removable when it is necessary to extend a bar or poker into the passages 24 for cleaning-out purposes.

VThe circulation of air and gases is illustrated by arrows in the drawings as follows: One arrow designates fuel gas, two arrows air, three arrows combustible mixture of air and gas, and four arrows the products of combustion or waste gases.

The operation of the above described apparatus is brieflyfas follows.

Material is fed through the opening I3 from the dog houseI4 on the side at the rear of the melting chamber, and gaseous fuel is supplied by burners 20 on the side of the furnace. The pool of glass supported on the hearth 3 is maintained at substantially the level of the firing ports I1 with the lighter materials at the top surface of the pool and the plained or rened glass, which -is of a high viscosity, settling to the bottom of the pool on the hearth 3 from which they passI through the throat 9 below bridge wall 8 into the working chamber 2.

By individual regulation of the burners 20 and the air supply dampers 2Ia,l any desired melting temperature can be established longitudinally of the melting chamber, and by regulation of the burners in the firing ports I8 of the working chamber, the glass in the working end of the tank can be maintained at suitable working temperatures independently of the temperature in the melting chamber. yTo this end, dampers I2 can be regulated to utilize theheat of the melting chamber for maintaining the glass in the Working chamber at proper thermal conditions without utilizing the burner ports I8, or this damper regulated heat may be employed in conjunction with the heat in the firing ports I8.

On account of the very high viscosity and specific weight of the plained glass adjacent the hearth 3 at the bottom of the glass pool, a definite mechanical longitudinal movement of the glass will be set up in the direction of Withdrawal of the glass in the working tank 2, the glass passing through the throat of the bridge wall 8. The step or shoulder 1 of the hearth will assist by adhesion in drawing the bottom viscous glass by displacement and gravity from the rear of the melting chamber and cause it to move forward towards the throat 9 of the bridge wall; this tends to create and control a desirable movement of the heaviest glass along the collecting chamber toward the throat,thus assuringV that the glass passing through the throat 9 is of uniform specific gravity and free of cord, striae and seed In otmmhe hearth isY stepped entirely across and of suillcient magnitude to move the heavy viscous glass by gravity at the bottom of the pool and prevent the surface glass from passing downwardly to the throat 9. Since the glass is withdrawn from the bottom of the pool, a mechanical current is created along the floor of the hearth by the glass iiowing over the step. This automatically causes the surface glass in the pool to flow in the opposite direction by displacement. The throat 9, being below the step, can be enlarged in size to @ure that'the more v\iscous bottom glass will flow through same to the workingnchamberin lieu of the less viscous and unrened glass near the surface, which would be the tendency with a smaller throat. The allowable velocity of movement through the throat of a normal deep pool type melting fur-f, nace is 3" per minute. If higher velocities are employed, less viscous glass is drawn through from higher levels where the glass is less highly rened.

Instead of the shoulder 1, the rear portion of the hearth may be inclined to produce a forward ow ofthe bottom glass, although such move- `ment is mainly effected by the tenacity of the viscous glass which, in dropping over the dam or shoulder 1, exerts a denite pull on all of the glass lying on the bottom of the hearth towards the rear of the melting chamber, while the withdrawal of the glass from the working chamber 2 causes a similar pull by displacement on the bottom viscous glass flowing over the wier or step.

Air to support combustion in the firing ports I 1 is supplied through the wide vertical passages 2| adjacent the firing ports to which it passes from the horizontal space 4 above the crown 6 of the furnace. l'Ihe vertical air passages 2I are separately controlled by dampers 2Ia to regulate a neutral oxidizing or reducing flame from the individual ports. Air passing to the space 4 is preheated' in the recuperator 22 in the following manner. The vwaste gases leave 'the melting chamber I through the rear passage I5 into the upper chamber 26 of the recuperator structure in which it accumulates and then passes downwardly through the vertical tile passages 24 to the botl c. The velocity of the waste gas passing to the stack is dependent, ofcourse, upon the temperature of the gases generated inthe melting chamber, and to provide for uniform preheat,damper ld of the vstack may be adjusted.to maintain` a constant velocity' of the gases 4through the recuperator tile passages 24. Air is drawn or forced under pressure through openings 29 at the bottom of the recuperator wall into the lower horizontal air passage from which it is conducted back and forth through successive vertically spaced horizontally disposed air passags upward through the recuperator tile f-then through passages 30 and 30a into the passages 3J from which it passes into the space 4 communicating with iiring ports l1 If the recuperator waste gas passages become clogged and excess pressure develops in the upper chamber 26, this pressure can be relieved by opening damper I5b of thewaste gas passage l5a to permit a quantity of the waste gases to pass downwardly to the lower chamber 21 and thence to the stack I5c, or if the recupeliator is shut down for repairs damper I 5b can beopenedl wide and all of the waste gases by-passed through the vertical passage lia to the stack |50, thus permitting operation of the furnace without the recuperator, which maybe repaired and .restored to service. y

Under these conditions, airis supplied by opening the cover 32 of the air duct Si to permit the air to pass directlyA to the space l land thence to the firing port without taking the ltortuous passage of the recuperator tile, the airl being preheated sufliciently to obtain necessary flame temperatures in its passage between the two arches 6 and 6a. f

These auxiliary waste gas and air ypassages possess additional utility as follows; When the vertical waste gas passages 24 of the recuperator tile accumulate solids such as fluxes that may be entrained in the waste gases leaving the Amelting chamber, air can be temporarily drawn through the vertical passages 3| by opening covers 32 so that the recuperator tile becomes sufllciently hot to melt the solids in the waste gas passage and cause them to drip into' the lower chamber 21 from` which they are removed through the door a shorter path 28, and when this melting-out -process is completed, air will again be drawn through the openings 29 yand the door 32 may be closed. The preheat can also be controlled by shutting off the openings 29 at the bottom of the recuperator and causing the a/ir or any desired portion to enter through opening 33 whereby it has optionally to travel to the openings 30 and 30a.

The auxiliary air and waste gas passages of therecuperator and tank are further designed to produce a given preheated air temperature to lattain desired furnace temperatures when fuels of different' quality are used. For example, a natural gas which is rich in fuel quality requires a theoretical volume of 10.126 cu. ft. of air plus gasfor a unit of fuelburned. In this case, with fuel is employed, less recuperator tile heating surface is required than where richfuel vnatural gas is employed.

A leanffu'el, such as producer gas, for example, produces about 25% more waste gases than that produced when natural gas is consumed with the same temperature developed in the furnace. I have found that 900 E. is about ,the greatest practical temperature dlii'erence allowable in the recuperator between the air and waste gases if .rupturing stresses are to be avoided in the tile, and as thenal waste temperature for natural gas may be about 700 F. under forcedv production and under e same furnace conditions, 13.00 F. for produ er'gas,'the permissible temperature such as `diiference allowable in the tile is exceeded and some of the waste gases must be by-passed to reduce the temperature difference to thevallowable limit. By utilizing the damper lib in the waste gas passage lia, some of the excess waste gases can be by-passed around the recuperator' to A'maintain the normal temperature diiference in lthe tile of the recuperator 22.

By the employment of the recuperator at the rear of the furnace to draw-off the waste gases at one end of the melting chamber. a high -preheat of air to support combustion can be mainmodifications may be made in thev details of construction without departing from the principlesI herein setforth.`

I claim:`

l. In a two compartment furnace, a beat exchanger, an air duct from the exchanger common to both compartments of the furnace, burners for each compartment means for controlling -the amount of air delivered to the burners in the two compartments and.means to separately control the flow oi' products Aof combustion leaving the two compartments..

2. In a two compartment furnace, a single heat exchanger for thefurnace, an air duct communicating with the exchanger and by spaced passages to each compartment, a waste gas outlet for one compartment, a waste'gas outlet for the 'other compartmentcommunicating with the first compartment, and damper means to regulate `the ilow of waste gas between the compartments.

, N lWILLlIAMA;MORTON. 

